It is way too long since I wrote an article on this blog! I found time to get back to put some words into hopefully readable sentences.
When I look back to May when the club announced the appointment of Matt Taylor as the new head coach, there was a buzz and, the momentum was increasing each day.
Now, the summer has gone by, much quicker than I had hoped.
I wonder if the board is giving the support and backing that Matt Taylor and Jamie Fullarton need to get this team back to League One?
With the momentum slowly decreasing, it feels as if the club is heading back into old habits again by showing less ambition and less than good decisions in the transfer market.
The current squad is an improvement from last year but, it lacks depth. We hardly have players to fill out the bench at the moment. Five matches into the new season and, we already have injury problems that are limiting our options, especially in the attacking parts.
When we entered the last day of the transfer window, I hoped the club would sign two or three new players. In the end, there was one signing, on loan from Burnley came George Miller. Maybe not the experienced and proven goal scorer that I had hoped we get. I’m disappointed with the activity Walsall showed during the last day.
Regarding Miller, I will make my judgement on him when he’s played a few matches. Looking at the statistics from his previous club, I’m not that overwhelmed but, I hope he proves me wrong by finding his goal-scoring form while at Walsall.
The ideal for me would have been if we had found an experienced and proven striker with a respectable scoring record but, those players are few and probably out of Walsall’s league financially at this stage.
My second wish was to find one more winger to add a cover to Rory Holden and not rely on Emmanuel Osadebe as our only attacking option from the bench. Of course, we have Tyrese Sharp but, god knows how long his injury will keep him away from the first team.
The third wish I had going in to transfer deadline was to add a backup to Stephen Ward. He turned 36 the other week. At that age, the risk of injuries is increasing, especially with a high match load. I feel there is a risk we might lose Ward through injury a few months into the season and, with the right full-back Zak Mills as mainly the only option, I’m a bit worried. Playing right-footed players on the left side isn’t my cup of tea. They tend to become somewhat limited, especially in the attacking third when facing crossing opportunities with his unfamiliar left foot.
When we went into the season, I had big hopes that we would hit the ground running and build up a good amount of points. It went the other direction. Naturally, it will take time to have 12 new players play like a well-oiled machine. Still, I had hoped for a better position than 21 after five played games. Luckily it is early days still and, there are 41 games left to play. We have every opportunity to climb the table and end on a high come May.
We took our first victory against Stevenage in our last match. Hopefully, that will be the catalysator we need to kickstart this season.